Agenda item

Cllr T Adams – Council Leader introduced the report and thanked officers and Members for their help in developing the Corporate Plan (CP), that would guide the authority over the next four years. He added that there would be a change to how the CP was delivered, with annual action plans replacing the four year delivery plan, as had been used in 2019. It was suggested that this would provide agility and allow the Council to take advantage of more opportunities and shape future actions. Cllr T Adams stated that work was underway to determine new contextual performance measures, some of which may already be actively monitored by the Committee. He outlined the key themes of the CP and stated that he looked forward to working with the Council and Members to deliver the Plan over the next four years.

Questions and Discussion

       i.          The Chairman stated that it was positive that the Committee were considering the CP in July, taking into account that it had not come forward until October in 2019. He added that that the previous CP had six themes, whilst the new proposal only had five, with the omission of financial sustainability as a key theme. It was suggested that the financial challenges facing the council had not gone away, and the Chairman therefore asked whether this should be given consideration for inclusion. Cllr T Adams replied that he was proud that the administration had been able to bring the CP forward so quickly, and suggested this was a benefit of a returning administration that sought to build on previous work. He added that various options had been considered for the key themes, but Cabinet Members had decided that financial sustainability had been covered throughout the CP, and would be given the necessary attention without being identified as a specific theme. It was noted that many aspects of financial sustainability would be covered under the strong and accountable Council theme, with further actions to be included within annual action plans. The Chairman accepted the points made but suggested that delivery of the wider CP would require a sure footing of financial sustainability, as had been identified in the previous Plan, and suggested that this may be a prudent item to consider going forward.

      ii.          Cllr A Brown stated that he was the only Cabinet Member that had also been on Cabinet in 2019, and noted that the administration was in a very different place at the time. He added that the Council was now in a more sustainable position and no longer needed to place as much emphasis on ensuring the financial sustainability of the authority. The Chairman noted that financial challenges were still on the horizon and may present a bigger threat now than in 2019, therefore he felt that financial sustainability should still be given greater weight within the CP.

     iii.          Cllr L Shires stated that whilst she was happy that finance was being given significant attention, financial sustainability was covered on p115, where the administration’s intentions had been made very clear. Cllr T Adams stated that he too felt that financial sustainability had been given adequate attention within the CP and did not require its own theme.

    iv.          Cllr S Penfold stated that whilst financial sustainability had been covered within the CP, there may be scope to make it more obvious to those outside of the organisation, by making explicit reference to the term within the document.

      v.          Cllr C Cushing stated that he would have expected financial sustainability to be placed at the heart of the CP, and noted that the MTFS had shown there were significant deficits forecast which required serious attention. He added that the administration should be focused on what could be done to ensure the Council’s financial sustainability by generating income or finding efficiency savings. Cllr C Cushing stated that there was also a lack of long-term objectives within the CP, and suggested that the Plan would benefit from these to help with the formation of annual actions plans. Cllr T Adams replied that theme names within the CP didn’t necessarily translate into specific actions, and he was sure that financial sustainability would be adequately covered within the Plan. He added that other Councils had made significant mistakes with risky commercial investments and he would ensure that the Council stayed well clear of these issues, with efforts instead focused on maximising the Council’s existing assets such as car parks and beach huts. It was noted that the annual action plans would also include actions and targets that would set out the long-term objectives of the Council, which would allow a more agile approach to realise opportunities. Cllr T Adams noted that contextual measures, graphics and an introduction were yet to be included, and the final version would be more accessible to residents.

    vi.          Cllr L Shires referred to efficiency savings and stated that some residents perceived this negatively, and it was therefore not something she sought to include within the CP. She added that reference had been made to delivering services efficiently, but this had been deemed adequate for the purposes of the Plan.

   vii.          Cllr V Holliday stated that a strong and accountable Council should be business as usual, and should not be seen as an aspiration. She added that her residents were mainly interested in well-paid jobs and affordable housing, which were clearer more tangible objectives, which did not appear to have been included. She added that rurality also appeared to have been overlooked within the Plan, and this was a crucial concern for the District.

  viii.          Cllr S Penfold referred to p107 and noted that rural villages would be placed at the heart of the Council’s services, and asked whether Members were satisfied that this claim would adequately address deprivation or a lack of investment. Cllr T Adams replied that rural matters would be covered in far greater detail than in the last CP, and whilst thoughts had been given to identifying a theme of rurality, it was felt that these issues could be better addressed across all other themes, with actions to be identified in the annual action plans.

    ix.          Cllr J Toye stated that financial sustainability should be embedded within any Council, and he did not therefore feel that it required its own distinct theme. He added that on matters of rurality, that many residents lived in rural inland communities, and focus should be placed on actions to address issues in these areas, which he believed were embedded within the Plan.

      x.          Cllr V Holliday suggested that some actions within the Plan weren’t particularly aspirational or were already complete, such as the Solar Port at the Reef, examination of the Local Plan and development of the Coastwise project, which were all already in progress. She added that it would be better for the Council to stretch itself with more aspirational targets and objectives. The CE stated that there was a programme of ongoing work which was reflected in the Plan, but actions such as developing a rural strategy was an aspiration that the administration had set for the first twelve months, with workshops set for September that would further outline items for the annual action plans. He added that the CP was a statement of political intent by the administration, and as a result many priorities would carry over from the previous term, but further aspirational priorities and actions could be raised during discussion and scrutiny of the action plan in October.

    xi.          Cllr T Adams stated that Members could expect a degree of continuity given that the administration had remained in place following the election, however the actions outlined within the CP such as the Solar Port, and coastal transition programmes were still highly ambitious. He added that many further actions were expected to come forward, such as the ongoing delivery of improved public conveniences, which would keep the Council very busy.

   xii.          The Chairman summarised the three comments made by Members of the Committee and noted that whilst there did not appear to be support to form substantive recommendations, he hoped that Cabinet would still take them into consideration for development of the CP.

  xiii.          The recommendations were proposed by Cllr S Penfold and seconded by Cllr P Fisher.

RESOLVED

That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

1.     Considers and comments upon the content of the draft Corporate Plan 2023 – 2027 as a statement of the Council’s intent and ambition for the term of this Council administration, with any comments being reported to the meeting of Full Council to be held on 19^th July 2023. Comments include:

• For Cabinet to consider whether financial sustainability has been adequately addressed within the Corporate Plan and whether it should form a key theme.
• For Cabinet to consider whether the headline objectives of the Corporate Plan are ambitious enough.
• For Cabinet to consider whether issues of rurality have been adequately addressed within the Corporate Plan.

2.     Notes the arrangements outlined for a series of member workshops in September 2023 to contribute to the development of actions / proposals for inclusion in the 2024/25 Annual Action Plan and then for the draft Action Plan being presented as a pre-scrutiny item for discussion / agreement by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its 11^th October 2023 meeting.